


Wide Open Spaces- Epilogue

by secretsidgenowriter



Series: Wide Open Spaces [2]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Bee keeping, Established Relationship, M/M, farmers market
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 18:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19409116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretsidgenowriter/pseuds/secretsidgenowriter
Summary: Usually, Sid is right beside him on the way to the Maple Valley farmers’ market, where Zhenya has been selling his honey for the past two years. The sprawling outdoor market is open from late June to early November and he and Sid pack up the truck and the dogs every Sunday and drive the 30 minutes to the market.





	Wide Open Spaces- Epilogue

Zhenya tucks the keys into the front pocket of his shirt before he even takes off his seatbelt. He takes the time to fasten the small button then pats the pocket just to double check before he unfastens the seatbelt and opens the door.

He holds it open for Timmy, who jumps out easily, and Sharik, who gets to the edge of the seat and stops. He marches in place and wags his tail and looks up at Zhenya with the saddest puppy dog eyes he’s ever seen. The distance between the seat and the ground may as well be a canyon to the tiny pup and Zhenya scoops him up, holds him against his chest and sets him softly on the ground.

Once there, he runs a few circles around Zhenya’s ankles then crashes into Timmy, who looks up at Zhenya as if to say, _“Can you believe this?”_

Zhenya laughs and runs a hand over Timmy’s head. “You were young and crazy, too, once. Don’t forget.”

After four years of being the only dog in the house, having a little brother has been an adjustment for Timmy, to say the least. He had been living a carefree life five months ago, joining Sid on housecalls and enjoying all the time, attention and toys to himself when Tanger and Flower found a box of abandoned puppies on a dirt road on the edge of town.

They were dirty and tiny and malnourished but, under Sid and Jake’s care, they all pulled through.

Zhenya and Sid had only planned on _fostering_ the smallest of the litter, a feisty little guy with floppy ears that seemed too big for his body and a fluffy curling coat, but it was clear after the first night that he had their hearts.

Timmy was fine with Sharik at first, acting like a puppy again himself. Once it dawned on him that Sharik was here to stay and he’d have to share the attention and the toys, things got a little tense.

It’s better now than it was, with warnings of _“Timmy, be a good boy,”_ coming fewer and farther between as Timmy learned about patience and Sharik learned about personal space.

Zhenya steps around them and heads for the back of the truck. He drops the tailgate and sighs. For the first time he’s sorry he let Sid sleep in this morning.

Usually, Sid is right beside him on the way to the Maple Valley farmers’ market, where Zhenya has been selling his honey for the past two years. The sprawling outdoor market is open from late June to early November and he and Sid pack up the truck and the dogs every Sunday and drive the 30 minutes to the market.

Sid had gotten in late last night after being called out to a farm that had a mule with a sore on its leg that was almost surely infected. Sid seemed exhausted when he finally made it to bed, so Zhenya switched off the alarm before it was supposed to go off this morning and let Sid sleep. He did the chores and packed up the truck and left Sid with a soft kiss to the back of his neck before leaving.

It’ll be a lot of work to do this on his own, but it’ll be worth it to give Sid the rest he deserves.

It takes Zhenya multiple trips to and from the truck with the dogs following after him to get everything unpacked and twice as long to set everything up but, finally, 20 minutes before the market is set to open, he’s ready.

He makes sure all of the labels are facing outward, _Irina’s Honey_ in elegant cursive on a pale blue background. He went back and forth on fonts and colors until he settled on this. It’s a little detail but it is so important that everything is perfect, that Irina would like it and approve if she were still here.

Zhenya still has plenty of money saved up from his old life and Sid does very well for himself, but it’s nice to have a little extra income, especially if it’s the result of doing something he loves.

He makes most of his money from the farmers’ market, but he also has a deal with Brian to supply honey for the restaurant and with Nick at the bar. Sid had suggested creating an online shop, but Zhenya shook his head and gently shot him down.

“People buy because I am local. Everyone should support local beekeepers.”

He does, however, send a few jars to Mrs. Petrov, but he does that free.

Zhenya fixes the last jar in place, sets out the sign displaying the pricing and brings out the metal lock box he uses for the till, counting the cash inside that he’ll use for change.

He’s halfway through a healthy stack of ones when he hears his name being called.

When he looks up Amanda is waving at him from her booth across the wide aisle, coffee cup and paper bag in her other hand. The dogs take off to her immediately, despite Zhenya calling them back.

Amanda sells goat milk soap using the herd of goats on her farm. She was one of the first to welcome Zhenya and Sid to the market and she always shares a bite of her breakfast with Timmy and Sharik.

“How are my favorite boys this morning?” she asks, putting her coffee down on her display table and opening the paper bag. Timmy and Sharik sit patiently at her feet, tails wagging in unison. She pulls an English muffin out of the bag, purchased from one of the food trucks on the far side of the market, and tears off a small piece for both of them.

They gobble it down, barely even chewing, then stare up and beg for more.

“Enough, enough,” Zhenya calls to them. “Don’t be little pigs.”

They turn and come back and Amanda follows.

“Where’s your other half?” she asks Zhenya. “You’re usually attached at the hip.”

Amanda had flirted pretty heavily with Zhenya when he and Sid first started coming here, clearly not recognizing the ring on his right hand for what it was.

It didn’t last long, though. Sid didn’t let it. He swiftly sidled up beside Zhenya, put an arm around his waist and introduced himself as Zhenya’s husband.

Zhenya had playfully called him out on the jealousy and even caught him giving Amanda dirty looks from across the way.

The tension has smoothed itself out with time. Sid has even taken on Amanda as a client, giving her goats their annual check-up and vaccinations.

“Let him sleep in,” Zhenya explains.

“Oh,” Amanda says, and gives him an exaggerated wink. “Long night last night?”

Zhenya laughs and blushes even though he’s innocent. “There was donkey with sore leg.”

“Sure, sure,” she says winking again. “Blame it on the donkey.”

Zhenya ducks his head and blushes harder.

“Well,” Amanda says, “I should get back to my booth and finish setting up.”

“You need help?”

Amanda waves him off. “I’m good.” She gives each of the dogs a pet then heads back to her booth, turning to wave to Zhenya halfway there.

The market gets busy fast. With only a handful of weekends left in the season, people seem to want to get the most out of it.

Zhenya keeps Sharik on a long leash attached to the folding chair Zhenya keeps behind the booth. He doesn’t trust him enough not to wander away, but Timmy sits out front, unleashed, acting as the unofficial mascot accepting pats from everyone that walks past.

Occasionally Timmy will walk over to Amanda or down to Mr. Eakins’ booth, where he gets samples of his 100% organic grass-fed beef jerky.

He always makes his way back so that’s why, when he takes off at a steady clip and runs past Zhenya’s booth, Zhenya panics.

“Timmy, come back!”

Zhenya leans over the table and sighs in relief when he sees Timmy and Sid walking toward him.

Sid’s in jeans and a black and grey plaid flannel shirt under a red puffer vest.

It’s the mirror image of Zhenya’s outfit, only his vest is black.

“You left without me,” Sid says, setting the canvas bag he’s been carrying over his shoulder down on the ground against the leg of the table. He leans up for a kiss. He tastes like cinnamon and sugar, like the apple cider doughnut Zhenya knows he stopped and bought.

“I wanted to let you sleep. Trying to be good husband.”

“You’re the best husband,” Sid says, bending down to pet Sharik, who is wiggling at his feet. “That’s why Sundays are my favorite. I get to spend all this time with you.”

“You very sweet,” Zhenya says, “but also very sleepy. Is very important to get rest.”

Sid rolls his eyes but he’s smiling as he picks up the bag. “I got apples. I got a deal on them because the farmer said he thought they were a little soft. I think the horses will like them.”

“Hope you don’t get any green ones. Magic won’t eat.”

“He’s gotten really picky recently. He never used to be like that.”

Zhenya shrugs and Sid holds up an all-red apple.

“You spoil him.”

“He like what he likes. Can’t help it.”

Sid hums and drops the apple back into the bag. Then, he pulls out a smaller paper bag.

“I got you something, too.”

Zhenya opens the bag and finds another doughnut. “Very sweet,” Zhenya says, reaching out and pulling Sid in by the collar of his vest. “Glad you here now. Thank you for coming.”

“Of course,” Sid tells him. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sharik- (Шарик) 'little ball' like "fur ball"


End file.
